Review 1 of 1
Price Paid:
$150.00
from B&H Summary:
This is a larger version of Lowepro's 2 compartment Rover backpack. The lower compartment has a removeable padded and partioned compartment that holds your camera gear. I havecarried the following: N70/80/or F100 w/ 28-105 lens attached; 70-300 f/4-5.6 lens; 20-35 f/2.8 lens; lens hoods/filters; SB-28 and film. I think that an 80-200 f/2.8 will also fit, though I have not tried one.
The upper compartment is designed as a daypack to hold a lunch, light jacket, and other miscellaneous items. The main compartment has a mesh pocket (great for a filter wallet) and a plastic mesh screened zippered pocket. there is place behind for a folder (I used this area to carry gray cards, manuals, laminated cheat sheets). The two compartments are seperated by a padded partition that is held in place with hook and loop fasteners (velcro).
The bag also has two mesh pockets on the side (great!) and also has small zippered pockets on either side of the tripod holder. There is another pocket behind the tripod holder.
The Rover Plus AW inherited the Technical Shoulder Harness found in the larger Trecker bags. The harness is very well padded and very comfortable. There is a plastic tool used to adjust the shoulder straps for the best placement. I found it easy to adjust.
There is a very thick and comfortable waist belt that really does help carry the load (and we all know that camera gear can be heavy!) with a generous adjustment. I have a 38" waiste and had no problems with it. The hip belt also accepts Lowepro (or others) Slip Lock accessories like the water bottle or a lens case or several.
As stated earlier, there is a centrally mounted tripod holder that uses bungee cords to secure the tripod. I have a medium sized tripod (Bogen 3401 - similar to the Bogen 3021B Pro) and it carries it very well, thought the additional weight of the tripod can disrupt your normal balance. The harness folds out of the way when not in use. When used, the tripod legs are located below the bottom of the bag.
What else? Oh, yeah! The bag also has Lowepro's AW cover that can be used to keep dust and light rain out of the bag. I've never had occation to use it, but I have used this feature on my other bags. The zippers are large and easy to use. There is a convenient black carry handle on top. Strengths:
Lowepro quality is definately there. The adjustable shoulder harness is very comfortable. The padded waiste belt is comfortable and useable. Two compartments allow the user to seperate camera gear from some day pack necessities. AW rain cover.
This is a fairly large bag that carries a lot of stuff. Weaknesses:
The padded back can make accessing gear difficult (it is rigid and a little difficult to bend, at least when new; it has gotten better with use).
The padded waist belt, while comfortable, does not fold out of the way and can be bulky.
The tripod holder sets the tripod legs below the bag so if you were to put it down the bag will not stand on its own; the tripod has to be removed to access photo gear; though this was not a major issue for me.
Similar Products Used:
This is the only photobackpack that I have used. I prefer shoulder bags and use the Lowepro Nova 4, a generic messenger bag, a Tamrac 5612 Pro 12. Customer Service:
Not needed - Lowepro makes excellent products
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